Category PUBLIC SAFETY

Authorities staying silent on Salem police sergeant’s DUI charge
Salem police Sgt. Dustin Wann has been charged with driving under the influence last May. Prosecutors refuse to explain his involvement in a golf cart crash that injured a woman earlier that day in west Salem.

Salem man charged with fatally shooting man found on Cordon Road
Ismael E. Ventura-Arellano, 21, was charged Thursday with murder in the shooting death of 23-year-old found shot to death on Jan. 25 in the Southeast Mill Creek neighborhood.

Oregon Democratic lawmakers reach tentative deal to address drug addiction crisis
Democrats in the Legislature plan to create a new class of misdemeanor and add opportunities to avoid jail and enter treatment

Viewers weigh in on Gun Violence Town Hall, solutions proposed
Panelists at a Town Hall on Gun Violence last week were asked to focus on solutions to Salem’s recent surge in shootings. Salem Reporter, which hosted the town hall, asked those who attended or watched online to share what they learned and how they plan to get involved.

WATCHDOG: Jail inmate overdoses continue with little action from Marion County leaders
Medical records show drugs were being trafficked into the Marion County Jail as recently as November, with multiple overdoses last year. Prosecutors haven’t decided whether to charge anyone with Will Schultz’s death over a year after he fatally overdosed in jail.

Three teens escape from MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility Sunday night
The Oregon Youth Authority provided no details about how three 19-year-olds escaped from the MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility shortly after 9 p.m. on Sunday. Two of the young men are from Salem and the other is from Portland.

“Always on the run from violence”: Salem teens share accounts of surging shootings
Teens in the Marion County Juvenile Detention Center shared how they've been impacted by Salem's recent surge in shootings.

PHOTO: Hundreds attend Salem’s Town Hall on Gun Violence, listening to 5 experts
PHOTOS: Salem residents listened attentively as panelists shared their insights on gun violence in Salem. The Town Hall on Thursday, Feb. 16, was organized by Salem Reporter.

Salem mother struggles to bear loss of teen son to gun violence
Matthew Newman, 15, was taking a joyride with friends on a Sunday night in November when he was gunned down on a Salem street. Three months later, his mother struggles to make sense of the events that led up to the death of her firstborn.